Getting evaluated

Camps, Satellite Camps & Junior Days

How and where college football coaches see recruits in person. Rules checked Oct 20, 2026. Rules change, so confirm details on the linked sources and with each school's compliance office. This is general guidance, not legal or eligibility advice.

Why camps matter in football

D1 coaches can't watch your high school games in person outside the fall evaluation period, and their spring visits to your school are limited. A school's own camp is one of the few places a staff can coach you, test you and talk to you face to face. Many offers, especially at FCS, D2, D3 and NAIA schools, follow a good camp performance.

What the NCAA rules say

  • College camps are open to anyone, and coaches working the camp can have recruiting conversations with you there.
  • Under the 2017 football model, FBS staffs can run or work camps on only 10 days in June and July, on their own campus or facilities they normally use. FCS schools can run camps in June and July. Check each school's camp page for its real dates.
  • An official visit can't be combined with your attendance at that school's camp.
  • FCS only (since 2023): an FCS school can hold a one-hour, noncontact, no-pads evaluation during a June unofficial visit, after your season is over and after a medical exam.

Satellite and mega camps

A "satellite camp" is a camp at another location where college coaches work as guest staff. Mega camps bring many colleges to one site. They can help you be seen by several staffs at once, but ask which schools will actually have coaches there before you pay. Under the FBS 10-day limit and on-campus rule, FBS coaches' ability to work off-campus camps is limited; FCS, D2, D3 and NAIA coaches often attend.

Junior days

  • A junior day is a set day when a program invites recruits (often juniors) to campus to meet coaches, tour and learn about the program. You pay your own way, so it counts as an unofficial visit.
  • They usually happen in the winter and spring, outside dead periods. Watch each program's X account and respond quickly to invitations.

How to pick camps

  • Choose schools where you could realistically play, based on the rosters and recruiting classes at your position.
  • Email the staff a week or two before with your Hudl link and tell them you're coming.
  • Wear what you'd wear to practice, compete in every rep, and listen to coaching. Coaches are watching how you take coaching as much as your times.

Sources (checked Oct 20, 2026)

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